A Dismal Christmas Past
by Dalakh
Summary: It's Christmas aboard Andromeda and not everybody is in the spirit.


A Dismal Christmas Past DISCLAIMER: I own squat. Please don't sue me coz i haven't got any thing to give you, plus my mum would kill me!  


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A Dismal Christmas Past

Fairy lights hung every aboard the Andromeda, holly sprung from corners and somebody had placed mistletoe under almost every door and arch. Occasionally Dylan, Rommie or Trance would be caught singing Christmas songs to themselves as each went about their daily business - Rev had been caught hanging a piece of tinsel or two inside his room. Even Beka was in the spirit and had found a Christmas tree in one of the storerooms and decorated it with more fairy lights; baubles and tinsel -she had even managed to find an angel to place on top. It sat there, on top of the tree in the Officers Mess where everybody ate, looking down on them like she was the eyes of Santa, with her hands together as if in prayer. Her wings white to match her dress, which sparkled under the harsh lights and her golden halo in place perfectly, not even at a slight tilt.   
A lively, happy atmosphere filled the ship: inside every nook and cranny and every heart and soul aboard the ship. Well, almost.   
Tyr refused to celebrate such a pointless ancient human holiday, and Harper was, well -in a weird mood.   


"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la laa, la la la la. 'Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la laaa La la la." Trance softly sang to herself whilst watering some plants in the Hydroponics bay when Harper came in, 

"Hi Harper!" she greeted him enthusiastically with a warm smile.   


"Hey Trance." He said glumly, "You said you wanted ta talk to me." 

"Oh yea -I did didn't I? It's just that I'm worried about you. You haven't been yourself since we started talking about Christmas. You've been all quiet and upset." Trance rushed the last part -knowing how annoyed he got when people thought he was upset: and she was right. Harper's unhappy and glum statement was gone in an instant -replaced with annoyance and even a hint of anger was in his eyes. 

"What? You mean I have ta be all loud all the time? Perhaps I just felt like a change alright?" With out another word he turned on his heel and left Trance lost for words. When she had finally recovered she headed to where Beka would be -the Command Deck. Upon arriving she saw, to her relieve only Dylan and Beka. She had been dreading that Tyr would be here and it was pretty unlikely that Harper would came here in the state he left Hydroponics.   
In fact, there were no possibilities at all that this was where he went. "Hi." Trance said timidly, walking up behind where the Dylan was standing as Beka was in the Slipstream chair. 

"Hi Trance." Came the joint reply. 

"Have either of you noticed something different about Harper just recently? You know," Trance hesitated, her tail swishing about anxiously behind her as she tried to figure out how to put it, whist keeping her good intentions clear, "how he's been acting lately, especially when we mention Christmas."   


Beka turned round to look at the purple alien with curiosity and worry mixed into her features as realization dawned, "Yea, now that you mention it, he has been a bit -well strange lately."   


Dylan perked up from his console at the mention of one of his crew; "He has been a bit, subdued, lately."   


"I was wondering if you guys would know why, I tried to ask him about it but he just got all angry and said that perhaps he just felt like a change."   


"Something's wrong. Harper never gets mad at you." Beka jumped out of the 'Stream chair and walked round to stand beside Trance. "I say we go find him."   
Dylan just looked at her in question,   
"Well we can't let him be like this all the time. It's not, right. And it's especially not natural for Harper." Beka reasoned, while Dylan considered the idea, knowing that whatever he said chances were Beka would go and do it any way -just without him, Trance re-checked the possibilities of this Christmas for Harper: they were already looking much brighter. After a few more seconds Dylan reached his conclusion,   


"Alright, we'll go."   


Ten minutes later the trio found Harper, locked in his room. However, before Dylan had a chance to think about whether to override the lock Beka and Trance had opened the door.   
The room was darkened, and a song played softly in the background. They could just make out Harpers' figure sitting with his back to the door.   


"Leave me alone." His voice was quiet and guarded. The room had a strange air, as if by them entering it, they had broken an ancient spell.   


"You know we can't leave Harper. Something's up with you and we want to know what." Dylan's loud voice penetrated the air like a knife slipping through butter.   


"Please, just leave will ya?" He got up and walked over to them, his face shadowed by the dark making it look haunted.   


"Harper please, we just want to help." Trance pleaded with her eyes and voice; it seemed as if she was staring straight into his soul while her tail curled up next to her feet. "You're scaring me." She added in a quieter voice, so that only he could hear.   


"C'mon Harper. You know you're more like a little brother to me than an employee, and I hate it when some one in my family is upset." Beka said. Then, as an after thought, "What are you listening to anyway?"   


"It's a ancient Earth song by a band called Aerosmith, it's called I don't want to miss a thing." Harper walked back to his bed; "I don't wanna talk about it."   


"Andromeda, lights please, 30%," said Dylan, everyone blinked as the lights flickered on and mentally gasped at the state of Harper. His eyes were red and bloodshot -like he had been crying, and his clothes were rumpled until it looked like he had just screwed them up a million times, trampled on them, screwed them up again and put them back on. "Why?" asked Dylan.   


"I don't wanna spill my guts. It's personal." sighed Harper.   


"Do you wanna 'spill your guts' to just one of us?" asked Beka, knowing that Harper would prefer Trance, in fact she hadn't expected him to tell _them_ what was wrong -just Trance. The pair were tighter than tight: they just couldn't see it themselves.   


"Hmmm." Came the reply.   


Beka turned to leave, grabbing Dylan so that he would follow.   
Once the Captains had left Trance walked over to Harper who was lying on his bed with his hands covering his face. Sitting on the edge Trance brushed away a stray bit of hair that had found it's way to his forehead, "So, you gonna tell me what's wrong, or lie there like an idiot?"   


"Hmmm." He said again,   


"Hmmm? Is that a yes or no?" Trance spoke to him like you would talk to an upset 6-year-old, most of the time it was just easier to talk to him like that: especially if he was like this."   


"Hmmm." Harper spread his fingers apart slightly, gazing out between them at Trance. "Is a yes."   


"Good, because I was telling the truth. You do scare me when you're like this. It's not like you." She edged closer until she could lie next to him, ignoring how nice it felt to be this close -now wasn't the time.   


"Ya know in a coupla weeks its gonna be Christmas?" Harper carried on, not waiting for a response, he couldn't stop the words pouring out, "Well I really don't like Christmas. When I was a kid we used to celebrate Christmas, it wasn't much, we just used to sit round a fire and have fun. Y'know, sing, tell jokes. Just forget everything for one night. Then, one Christmas Day the Magog and Nietcheins came -one after the other. In the morning the Nietche' s came, killed my older sister, my youngest brother and my aunt. And later on, just before it got dark, the Magog came. In that attack they wiped out about half of the camp. Killed the rest of my brothers and sisters, infested my mum, dad and cousins. Killed the rest of my relatives. In one day I lost everyone I had ever cared about except for my uncle who eventually killed himself after we had to kill my mum, dad and my cousins -his kids." Harpers' voice cracked with emotion, Trance moved so to put his head on her chest, stroking his brow, but he continued, "I was 12 years old and left to fend for myself. I decided right then that I was gonna get off of that hellhole. I didn't want to die there too. And I don't want it to happen again: not to any body here." Harper finished in a whisper, his mind too emotionally exhausted from re-telling the worst day of his life.   


"Harper, it won't happen here. You don't need to worry about it. This isn't Earth. This is a High Guard Ship Of The Line. Remember -you told me that they don't make 'em like they used too. Doesn't that mean that this is one of the safest places to be in the known universe?"   


"Hmmm." Harper closed his eyes, content to listen to Trance,   


"You don't need to worry. It won't happen."   


Eventually he fell into a peaceful slumber.   


The next day was Christmas Eve and Harper was much more like himself -still a little quiet -but getting better. He began helping to put the last few decorations up, fairy lights and tinsel found their way into his room and he found some mistletoe. Walking up to Trance from behind whist she was talking to Dylan he tapped her shoulder, "It's tradition to kiss under mistletoe ya know!" Mischief filled his eyes as he kissed her on the lips, smirking at her surprise. "Gotta go -there are another 2 women on this ship and they need the kiss of life!"   


Harper sprinted off down the corridor go to find Rommie.   


"He seems better." Stated Dylan, trying, and failing, to hide his smile.   


"Hmmm." Was Trance's reply.   


********* On Christmas day and everyone except Tyr was in the Officers Mess sitting in front of the Christmas tree and had opened their presents, that is everyone except for Harper. He kept glancing round nervously, like he was expecting something, or someone, to attack them from around the corner.   


"C'mon Harper -your turn." Said Dylan, chucking a small round shaped box at him,   


"Oookay. Wadda I hav-ta do?" He hadn't been paying attention to everyone else and had never seen a present before so he was baffled,   


"Open it." Chorused everyone,   


"'Kay." Ripping off the green and red paper Harper grinned at what it was, on a drift ages ago there had been this really cool thing that moved, the salesman had called it a "Slinky". He had so badly wanted to buy it but he hadn't had enough Thrones for it. The slinky was light blue at one end and faded into a dark blue at the other. "Wow, this is awesome!"   
The next one was from Trance, eagerly Harper tore of the bright purple paper to reveal a teddy bear with a tool belt around it's waist and surf board under it's arm.   
"Cool -err, what is it?" asked Harper   


"It's called a teddy bear. I saw it and thought of you." Trance said as Harper hugged her.   


"This is really cool -though it might cramp my style." Everybody laughed as Beka passed the last present to him. It was flat, and rapped gaily yet in red and green paper like the slinky had been except this one had a silver ribbon tied around it.   


"This is from all of us Harper." Said Beka.   


"What is it?" Harper shook it but it made no sound, he ran his fingers over it and still he couldn't figure it out, "Oh well -I guess I'll just have to open it then won't I?"   


Yet again the group laughed -even Rev, once Harper had managed to undo the silver ribbon and take off all of the paper he was speechless. Dylan, Beka, Rommie, Trance and Rev were all smiling at him from a holograph.   


"I, I"   


"Quick, Andromeda record this -Harper's speechless!" Beka laughed.   


"Oh ha ha -very funny. Seriously I think this is the best one. I love it."   


At Harpers suggestion the group spent the next few hours just having fun. Telling jokes, singing songs, telling more jokes and singing yet more songs. Before anyone knew what was happening it was 1 o'clock in the morning. Everybody was to tired to go to their own rooms so they all crashed out in the Officers Mess, lying around the Christmas tree. Once she was sure they were all asleep Trance got up and whispered,   


"Engage Privacy Mode."   


"Privacy Mode Engaged" Andromeda replied -her voice dynamics lowered as to not awake the others.   


"It's alright -they're asleep now." Trance continued.   


A swirl of light came down from the tree and merged to become a real version of the angel on top of the Christmas tree. As she spoke her voice lilted like a song,   


"Thank you Trance Gemini, you have managed to revive the spirit of Christmas inside someone who had thought that they could never enjoy it again. You are truly doing a great job on the mortal plane. But when are you going to return to us?"   


"I'm not sure. I think I'll stay here for awhile longer -it's not like I'm in a hurry. Is everything alright in the North Pole?" Trance spoke quietly while her tail twirled round in circles.   


The angel smiled, "You use the mortal word. Yes, everything is fine. I also see great potential in these beings. They are trying to restore order -even though every one of them except for two does not fully believe in it. If they continue to do so they may become one of us."   


"Will it matter if they...?" Trance left her question unfinished; knowing the angel would know what she meant.   


"No, the fact is, that whether they succeed or fail they are trying. You should know that!"   


"I know, I know. It's just sometimes it seems as if we are getting nowhere."   


"I know. Just keep up the good work. You know you are free to return to us at anytime?"   


"Yes,"   


"Okay, I must leave now. It was lovely speaking to you again Trance Gemini."   


"You too."   


With that the angel swirled back to the top of the Christmas tree, winking before settling into her original pose until she would be "put away" again. Which was actually when she went home.   
Trance lay back down again, more at peace than she had been before and disengaged privacy mode -not noticing Harpers' eyes open, glancing between her and the angel.   


He closed his eyes again and said, "You are losin' it Harper. An angel did not just appear and have a conversation with Trance. You're just imagining things."   


By the next morning he had forgotten the whole thing.   


  


  


A/N: And yet another version of what Trance is -oh well: you'll just have to live with it I'm afraid!  
You know th drill -PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!! Pretty please? I'll be an angel at school if you do!!!! ]:P  
0:)  


  


  



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